Beautiful Redemption

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

This book reminded me a lot of Julie Kagawa's "The Iron Knight". I won't go into too much detail, otherwise it will add spoilers.

I definitely missed the togetherness of Ethan and Lena. This was the focal point of all the other novels, so it was hard to see a different type of angst. At the same time, it was a nice change of pace. I really liked seeing where the Greats come from - it's an interesting world with unique characters. I also enjoyed hearing from Ethan's mom. She's a central back-story character, so it was good to see more of her in this final installment.

I have to admit that I was a bit confused and saddened by the ending. I think I understand what happened, but contact me if you'd like to discuss.

Regarding narration, I love Khristine Hvam and Kevin T. Collins! I'm so excited the editors/authors chose to add Khristine Hvam to the story narration. I can always get into her characters.

My Sunshine Away

My Sunshine Away unfolds in a Baton Rouge neighborhood best known for cookouts on sweltering summer afternoons, cauldrons of spicy crawfish, and passionate football fandom. But in the summer of 1989, when 15-year-old Lindy Simpson - free spirit, track star, and belle of the block - experiences a horrible crime late one evening near her home, it becomes apparent that this idyllic stretch of Southern suburbia has a dark side, too.

This book was kind of all over the place for me. I might even rate it 2.5. I felt like it was trying to be like "Devil in The White City" by going back and forth between stories and descriptions about the city/country and Lindy's story. But it felt too jumpy. I also thought some of the prose was long-winded and I found myself having to go back and re-read sections because I started thinking about something else. I did enjoy the end of the book.

Beautiful Ruins

The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying. And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot - searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.

Great book. It's like a Robert Altman film with several characters whose lives all connect in some way. The only issue I had was with Richard Burton being a relatively main character and certainly a central part of the plot. It was hard to suspend disbelief. All in all a great novel with an extremely well written and poignant ending.

Vortex: A Tempest Novel, Book 2

Julie Cross's Vortex is the thrilling second installment of the Tempest series, in which the world hangs in the balance as a lovelorn Jackson must choose whom to save. Jackson Meyer has thrown himself into his role as an agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats. Despite his heartbreak at losing the love of his life, Jackson has proved himself to be an excellent agent. However, after an accidental run in with Holly - the girl he altered history to save - Jackson is once again reminded of what he's lost.

I've enjoyed this series so far. However, I found the second book harder to keep up with than the first. The timelines and crossing between them got to be hard to keep track of. But, whenever I got back on track, I continued to enjoy the story.

Narration: Unfortunately. I'm not a fan of Matthew Brown. His female voices are indistinguishable from one another and he only has 2-3 distinct male voices, unless a regional access is involved. That makes listening to the story a bit more difficult. I usually have to wait for a character to state who's talking.

Days of Blood & Starlight

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

This novel was like two books. The first half was a little hard to follow, contained too many characters, very dark, slow and not all that interesting. It seemed like part of a different series. I listened to it on audio book, so I thought maybe that was the reason, but I LOVED the second half. The second half had all the same qualities of the first book - engrossing, fast paced, intriguing, etc. I would have given the book 4 or 5 stars if the entire book read like the second half.

Iced: A Dani O' Malley Novel, Book 1

Dani "Mega" O’Malley plays by her own set of rules - and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the few humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Loved, Loved, Loved! I missed the Fever Series so much - I was so happy to be back in that world. I was sad that Mac and Barrons weren't the focus of the story, but quickly came to love the banter between Dani and Ryodan, and Christian's weirdness. The story is a great mystery, but it's really the dynamic between the characters that makes it. In fact, the story was so good, it made me realize just how much I had been missing the Fever series and I started reading that all over again. Thanks, Karen!

P.S. - It would be AWESOME if you could get Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante to re-do the narration on the earlier Fever books.

The Lost Prince

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them. That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs - including his reputation - begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for. Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world - the land of Faery.

I wanted to give this book 5 stars, I really did. There were just a couple areas of the book that I really didn't like, so it held me back. The first thing I didn't like was the type and style of language used by the high school antagonist. I found it offensive and unrealistic (though I haven't been in high school for a long time, so perhaps I'm wrong). The second, more important thing I didn't like is Ethan's internal monologue. There were several sentences that started with "What I wanted to say was, '...." The introduction to the internal monologue was jarring. There must be a better way to state someone is having an internal monologue. Also, some of the internal talk seemed like it would have been perfectly reasonable to say aloud.

The story - I loved the story. I missed Ash and Megan (wish there was more of them!) and was so happy to see Puck again! I can't wait to see how this story continues to develop. I find it difficult to believe Keiran believed what he did about The Forgotten, so I'm interested to see if there's a back story there. I also really enjoyed Kenzie's personality. I hope she's in the rest of the books!

Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle.

I give this book 3.5 stars. I'd say 3 for the first half and 4 for the second half. A lot of the book was identical to Cinderella, just replaced with cyborg parts;). I found myself enjoying the book more when I forgot about the Cinderella aspect. It could easily stand on it's own. It sounds like book 2 will hopefully head in that direction.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, but what she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

This book is very disturbing. I just finished a minute ago and I have chills. I suggest listening on audio so you can hear the child-like voice of Jack. The writing is interesting because the author makes an attempt at the internal monologue of a 5-year old. There's no way to know what this would sound like, but she does an admirable job. The book will make you laugh, cry and very angry. Emma Donoghue has a vivid imagination and I only hope that none of us ever has to experience this firsthand.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages - not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color.

Holy crap! I've had this book on my "To Read" shelf forever. I read it because one of my friends told me I "needed to" and was she right! This book was so engrossing. I didn't even read the synopsis but was enthralled since page 1. The pacing of this book was perfect and every single detail well-thought-out and necessary. Laini Taylor has such a unique imagination. I can't wait for the next book and so glad that it's only 3 mos away!

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